Archaeological investigations of the largest urban centers in southern Mesopotamia have excluded collection and detailed interpretation of faunal remains. This exclusion has resulted in a biased interpretation of urban dynamics based largely on architecture, site planning, artifact distribution, and textual evidence. The samples that do exist from these sites are often incomplete. Additionally, textual evidence pertaining to animal exploitation is essentially silent when it comes to pig husbandry and offers little information on the exploitation of fish and other wild resources. While addressing these biases with the analysis of faunal material from the late second millennium (BCE) urban site of Mashkan-shapir, this study also aims to shed light on the complex interplay between urban life and the natural diversity of the southern Mesopotamian wetlands. The site is presented as a model for heterarchical sociopolitical organization and sustainable agroecological approach to subsistence. A fundamental link is made between sustainability and heterarchical organization and consensus. Results of the analysis of over 7000 specimens from excavation, as well as nearly 2900 specimens from systematic flotation, indicate that wetland resources were an integral part of the site economy. The data suggest pigs were a major dietary component, and suggest low intensity cultivation of free roaming "street pigs" as the likely pig rearing strategy. Ovicaprid remains indicate a strong bias towards sheep with the primary goal of wool production. The study attempts to describe and quantify the role of wetlands as a sustainable resource adding to the vitality and success of Mashkan-shapir. The data suggest an urban setting intimately linked to wetland ecosystems. This model of wetland exploitation is compared to both ancient and modern data including modern models of mixed species sustainable agroecosystems to illustrate the efficiency and sustainability of the proposed Mashkan-shapir model. The data from Mashkan-shapir suggest that a heretofore unexamined or hidden portion of the economy based on fishing, hunting, household level pig husbandry, and wetland resource exploitation, played a crucial role in the lives of Mesopotamian urbanites.

Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Ammißaduqa, penultimate king of the Ôammurabi dynasty in the Old Babylonian period, reigned from 1646-1626 BCE, and issued a mēšarum edict which Finkelstein described as “a single tablet, inscribed with a most unique text of an importance for the socio-economic life of Babylonia second to no other.” It is essential to define ancient royal edicts within their cultural context. This thesis examines, within the broad legal, religious, political and social background of the Ancient Near East, the design of royal edicts, their aims, beneficiaries and legal implications. The primary goal of this thesis is to improve our understanding of the motives for the promulgation of mēšarum decrees within the ancient cultures, and in particular, the motives for Ammißaduqa’s first edict. There is a strong scholarly tendency to seek the motives in the economic faction, even likening this decree to a “modern-day economic stimulus package,” a type of “RDP”. Kraus noted that the first promulgation was designed and executed for ideological purposes, subsequent mēšarum edicts were economic emergency measures. Nel agreed that the proclamation of a mēšarum was part of the propaganda strategy to strengthen the royal administration and to legitimize its power. The mēšarum was not designed to bring prosperity, but to stimulate agricultural production and prevent uncontrolled urbanization. Olivier noted that the mēšarum was intended, not to reform the economic system, but to remedy the unbearable economic situation. The economic motive is therefore of prime importance for all subsequent edicts, although an overlapping of all three motives – ethics, ego and economy – is highly likely. The base-line conclusion is that the motive and the occasion are inseparable. The aim of this thesis was to produce sufficient evidence that king Ammißaduqa was primarily inspired by ethics and ego, and not economics, when declaring his first mēšarum edict.

La thèse est composée de trois chapitres, le premier traite le problème de la ville de Larsa d'un point de vue historique et archéologique. J'ai étudié l'histoire de tous les rois qui sont montés sur le trône de Larsa. J'ai trouvé de nouvelles données. Il y a des problèmes qui restent sans réponses certaines à cause de l'absence de fouilles archéologiques sur le site de Larsa. Dans la partie d'archéologie de cette ville, j'ai étudié toute la ville : la forteresse/ les portes, les rues, le temple, le palais royal, et les maisons avec trois maisons comme exemples. Puis, une illustration de certains objets importants révélés grâce à des fouilles françaises dans cette ville. Le deuxième chapitre est une étude sur une nouvelle archive royale du palais de Larsa. Cette archive donne beaucoup de nouvelles données historiques sur la vie de Larsa surtout sur la vie dans le palais royal. J'ai trouvé dans cette archive quelques réponses pour certaines questions historiques. Cette archive nous a montré que Larsa était une centre administrative remarquable dans la partie sud de la Mésopotamie. Finalement, j'ai étudié dans le troisième chapitre des tablettes de différent nature : contrats administratifs, scolaires, et incantations. Cette collection de textes ne pose pas de problèmes. Les textes sont classiques et comparables. / The thesisis is composed of three chapters, the first deals with the problem of the city of Larsa from two sides : historical and archaeological. I studied the history of all the kings that are mounted on the throne of Larsa. I found some news informations. There are some problems still without answer because of the absence of archaeological excavations on the site of Larsa. In the archeology of this city, I studied all of city : the fortress / doors, streets, the temple, the royal palace and the houses with three houses as examples. Then, an illustration of some important objects revealed by the French excavations in this city. The second chapter is a study of a new royal palace archive of Larsa. This archive provides many new historical informations about the life in Larsa especially the life in the royal palace. I have found in this archive some answers to some historical questions. This archive has shown us that Larsa was a remarkable administrative center in the southern part of Mesopotamia. Finally, I studied in the third chapter somme texts from different kinds : contracts, administrative, schooler texts, and incantations. This collection of texts poses no problems. The texts are classics and

This work aims to provide a thematic typology for Old Babylonian divination apodoses, predictions known from early lists of omens and models from Ancient Mesopotamia and the Levant. The primary objective of this study is to present the Old Babylonian divination apodoses as a system, placing each prediction in its appropriate context, together with thematically related material from other compendia. There are altogether 272 reported Old Babylonian compendium-tablets and inscribed clay models, dedicated to thirteen different divinatory practices, of which 157 are examined in this work. Methodologically, the work combines elements of a traditional Assyriological edition and a motif index. The typology is to provide a systematic approach to the study of the apodosis from the perspective of the problem it was meant to answer. Such an approach would lead to a better understanding of the apodosis as an element of a comprehensive system of beliefs, shed light on the early development of the Mesopotamian divinatory written tradition, and help bring to clearer order the imprints of hopes and fears of the Old Babylonian society, that apodoses bear. As a part of the Old Babylonian divination corpus remained beyond the scope of this study, the choice of material has regard to tablets published solely in copies, as well as older editions that can be improved and extended. The bulk of the edited texts were also newly examined and subjected to philological analysis. This approach has yielded a solid number of new reading and interpretations, included in this study. Philological commentaries, together with brief notes on peculiarities of script and language are likewise a crucial part of this research. The introduction starts with a synopsis of the research in the field and offers an overview of the sources. Some basic components of the apodosis, such as problem, motif, outcome, and other elements, important for the classification are also explored here. Additionally, this part of the work examines incidental aspects of space and time, as well as involved characters. The typology itself has 2,367 entries in total, which amount to 2,675 attestations of full apodoses or 3,362 attestations of simple apodoses and parts of compound apodoses counted altogether. The classification of the material is developed on three levels. The twenty-eight sections define the sphere of interest in general. Subsections address particular problems or aspects within the wider topic. The lowest level of the classification, the motif formula, constitutes an exact prediction in terms of motif, involved characters, and other peculiarities. In addition, the work includes a catalog of Old Babylonian compendia and a concordance of predictions in the relevant manuscripts. The thematically organized catalog of predictions is to benefit future theoretical studies on Mesopotamian divination, culture, and realia, as well as to assist textological work on divination-related cuneiform materials.

RESUME FRANCAIS La société en Mésopotamie du Sud, à lépoque de la Dynastie de Larsa, est fondée sur une économie qui possède des caractéristiques particulières et uniques. Cette économie « sui generis », parce que adaptée à une situation donnée, présente lefficacité nécessaire au maintien et au développement dune civilisation remarquable. La période de la Dynastie de Larsa est une période charnière entre la fin de lépoque dUr III et la domination babylonienne sous le règne de Hammurabi, car on peut percevoir que la société a alors subi une véritable évolution. Les centres administratifs, qui, à lépoque dUr III, contrôlaient léconomie, ont progressivement tendance à faire intervenir dans leur gestion des personnes indépendantes, mais il existe une différence bien nette entre la situation à Larsa et celle à Ur : - A Larsa, la gestion des centres administratifs passe par des personnes dont on ignore souvent la fonction, mais la nouveauté est bien évidemment lindépendance dans la gestion des ressources agricoles que vont acquérir de grandes familles comme celle de Balmunamhe. - A Ur, le complexe religieux de Nanna et de Ningal tient dans léconomie une place aussi considérable quà lépoque dUr III. Un bon nombre de personnes, qui nont pas la qualité de membre à part entière du complexe, va cependant soccuper de diverses choses, telles que le bétail et la pêche. On ignore toutefois la marge dindépendance que ces personnes ont par rapport au complexe. La politique tient par ailleurs un rôle primordial dans léconomie. Les misharû sont des actes politiques forts qui vont contribuer à lajustement des prix et des salaires. Les bouleversements politiques vont singulièrement modifier les comportements économiques, le bouleversement politique le plus fort étant sans doute la prise du pouvoir à Larsa par Nûr-Adad, les prix ayant chuté à ce moment précis. La prise du pouvoir à Larsa par les descendants de Kudur-mabuk na pas eu un impact aussi considérable. *********************** ENGLISH SUMMARY The society in southern Mesopotamia at the time of the Dynasty of Larsa, is based on an economy that has particular characteristics and unique. The economy "sui generis" because adapted to a given situation, present this efficiency for the maintenance and development of a remarkable civilization. The period of the Dynasty of Larsa is a pivotal period between the end of the period of Ur III and Babylonian domination under the reign of Hammurabi : we can perceive that the society then suffered a real evolution. The administrative centers, which at the time of Ur III, controlled the economy, gradually tend to intervene in their management of independent persons, but there is a clear difference between the situation in Larsa and Ur: - At Larsa, the management of administrative centers through which people often ignore the function, but the novelty is obviously independence in the management of agricultural resources that will acquire large families like Balmunamhe. - A Ur, the complex religious of Nanna and Ningal takes a considerable at the time of Ur III in the economy. A great number of people who do not qualify as a full member of the complex will deal with various things, such as livestock and fisheries. It is unclear, however, the margin of independence that these people have over the complex. The policy also holds a key role in the economy. The misharû are strong political act that will contribute to the adjustment of prices and wages. The political changes will significantly alter economic behavior, the political upheaval is the strongest probably took power in Larsa by Nur-Adad, prices fell at that time. The seizure of power in Larsa by the descendants of Kudur-Mabuk has not had a considerable impact.

Esta dissertação propõe uma análise de um conjunto de 50 cartas administrativas paleobabilônicas (c. 2003 1595 AEC), oriundas do sítio arqueológico de Tell Harmal, correspondente à antiga cidade de &#352aduppûm, e publicadas pela primeira vez por Albrecht Götze em 1958. Para esse fim, apresentamos uma nova transliteração das cópias dos tabletes e a primeira tradução desse material do acadiano para o português. Nessa documentação podemos observar detalhes do papel desempenhado por oficiais integrantes da administração de &#352aduppûm na gerência das terras agrícolas, mais especificamente quando &#352aduppûm estava sob o controle do rei Ib&#227l-pî-El II (1779-1765 AEC) de E&#353nunna. Por meio dos aspectos operacionais das práticas administrativas locais, buscamos compreender a sua relação com a administração central de E&#353nunna. Adicionalmente, esse trabalho expõe um aspecto da atividade administrativa que pode ser compreendido como a experiência social, que se revela sobretudo nas estratégias de sociabilidade postas em ação por esses oficiais / This dissertation proposes an analysis of 50 letters dated from the Old Babylonian period (c. 2003 - 1595 BCE). These letters come from the Tell Harmal archaeological site, corresponding to the ancient city of &#352aduppûm, and were first published in 1958 by Albrecht Götze. To achieve my goal, I present new transliterations of the copies of the tablets and the first transliteration of this material from Akkadian into Portuguese. This documentation gives us details of the role played by the officials performing &#352aduppûm administrative activities in agricultural land management, especially when &#352aduppûm was under the control of king Ib&#227l-pî-El II (1779-1765 BCE) of E&#353nunna. Through the operational local administrative practices aspects, we seek to understand their relationship with the central administration of E&#353nunna. Furthermore, this work brings an aspect of administrative activity that may be understood as a component of social experience, which is revealed mainly in sociability strategies put into action by these officials.

Esta dissertação propõe uma análise de um conjunto de 50 cartas administrativas paleobabilônicas (c. 2003 1595 AEC), oriundas do sítio arqueológico de Tell Harmal, correspondente à antiga cidade de &#352aduppûm, e publicadas pela primeira vez por Albrecht Götze em 1958. Para esse fim, apresentamos uma nova transliteração das cópias dos tabletes e a primeira tradução desse material do acadiano para o português. Nessa documentação podemos observar detalhes do papel desempenhado por oficiais integrantes da administração de &#352aduppûm na gerência das terras agrícolas, mais especificamente quando &#352aduppûm estava sob o controle do rei Ib&#227l-pî-El II (1779-1765 AEC) de E&#353nunna. Por meio dos aspectos operacionais das práticas administrativas locais, buscamos compreender a sua relação com a administração central de E&#353nunna. Adicionalmente, esse trabalho expõe um aspecto da atividade administrativa que pode ser compreendido como a experiência social, que se revela sobretudo nas estratégias de sociabilidade postas em ação por esses oficiais / This dissertation proposes an analysis of 50 letters dated from the Old Babylonian period (c. 2003 - 1595 BCE). These letters come from the Tell Harmal archaeological site, corresponding to the ancient city of &#352aduppûm, and were first published in 1958 by Albrecht Götze. To achieve my goal, I present new transliterations of the copies of the tablets and the first transliteration of this material from Akkadian into Portuguese. This documentation gives us details of the role played by the officials performing &#352aduppûm administrative activities in agricultural land management, especially when &#352aduppûm was under the control of king Ib&#227l-pî-El II (1779-1765 BCE) of E&#353nunna. Through the operational local administrative practices aspects, we seek to understand their relationship with the central administration of E&#353nunna. Furthermore, this work brings an aspect of administrative activity that may be understood as a component of social experience, which is revealed mainly in sociability strategies put into action by these officials.

En quelques décennies, entre le XXIe et le XIXe siècle, le visage de la Mésopotamie fut profondément bouleversé par l'immigration massive de populations amorrites qui se sédentarisèrent et investirent les centres urbains laissés vacants au tournant du millénaire précédent. Le phénomène toucha particulièrement la Haute‑Mésopotamie dans laquelle s'insère un petit ensemble rendu singulier par sa topographie : le sud du Djebel Sindjar.Si cette région n'a encore livré que peu de vestiges archéologiques, la documentation écrite exhumée sur plusieurs sites dans ou à l'extérieur du Sud-Sindjar (Tell Hariri, Tell Leilan et Tell al‑Rimah principalement), apporte de nombreuses informations sur sa géographie, sur ses habitants et leur mode de vie mais également et surtout sur les événements politiques qui la touchèrent entre le XIXe et le XVIIe siècle avant notre ère. C'est l'enjeu de cette thèse que de dater, d'ordonner et d'analyser ces informations dans une optique qui se veut double. Dans un premier temps, il s'agit de reconstituer le paléo-environnement et la géographie historique de cette région, avec comme l'un des principaux points de mire la localisation des villes évoquées dans ces textes. L'autre approche tient à la découverte de son histoire politique en premier lieu par la description des ensembles politiques et humains qui s'y constituèrent, royaumes et groupes tribaux, mais également par l'analyse des rapports que ces entités entretinrent entre elles. Enfin, il s'agit de considérer les enjeux que la région revêt et qui expliquent autant les choix politiques de ces royaumes que les interventions étrangères dans la région. / In a few decades, between the XXIst and the XIXth century, the appearance of Mesopotamia deeply changed because of the immigration on a massive scale of amorite populations which settled down and flooded upon the cities left unoccupied at the end of the previous century. The phenomenon particularly struck the Upper Mesopotamia in which there is a small area made singular owing to its topography : the plains south of the Jebel-Sinjar. This area has revealed only a few archaeological vestiges but the written documentation which was found in several sites inside or outside South-Sinjar (especially in Tell Hariri, Tell Leilan and Tell al-Rimah) brought many pieces of information about its geography, its inhabitants and their way of life, but also, and most importantly, about the political events which occurred there between the XIXth and the XVIIth century before our era. The issue of this thesis is to date, to order and to analyze these pieces of information in a double perspective. On one hand, it is about rebuilding the old environment and the historical geography of this area, aiming especially the location of the cities mentioned in these texts. Secondly, its political history will be studied, first of all throughout the description of the political and human groups which appeared there, kingdoms and tribal groups, and secondly through the analysis of the relationships between these entities. Finally, we will consider the issues represented in the area which explain the political decisions made by those kingdoms as well as the foreign interventions in the region.

In most cases in a deceased person’s estate, there are problems with co-ownership where more than one family member inherits the deceased family estate assets. To escape the perils of co-ownership the beneficiaries consensually agree to divide the inherited communallyshared asset/s. This agreement can take place immediately after the death of the family estate owner or some time later regarding some or all of the said assets. On the conclusion of the division agreement, the contractual party who receives the awarded assets enjoys sole ownership and the other contractual parties by agreement retract their ownership. In a jurisprudential content analysis of forty-six recorded family deceased division agreements from Old Babylonian Larsa and Nippur, essential elements are identified which are the framework and qualification requirements for a family deceased division agreement. Within this framework the concepts, terms and elements of the agreement are categorised as natural and incidental elements, which reflect the specific law traditions and choices of contractual parties and show the unique scribal traditions in the different Old Babylonian city-states of Larsa, Nippur and Sippar. The aim of the study is to shed a more focused light on the interpretation of recorded Old Babylonian division agreements and to show that the division agreement was a successful, timeless, estate administration mechanism and tool to obviate any undesirable consequences of co-ownership of the bequeathed property. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)

In most cases in a deceased person’s estate, there are problems with co-ownership where more than one family member inherits the deceased family estate assets. To escape the perils of co-ownership the beneficiaries consensually agree to divide the inherited communallyshared asset/s. This agreement can take place immediately after the death of the family estate owner or some time later regarding some or all of the said assets. On the conclusion of the division agreement, the contractual party who receives the awarded assets enjoys sole ownership and the other contractual parties by agreement retract their ownership. In a jurisprudential content analysis of forty-six recorded family deceased division agreements from Old Babylonian Larsa and Nippur, essential elements are identified which are the framework and qualification requirements for a family deceased division agreement. Within this framework the concepts, terms and elements of the agreement are categorised as natural and incidental elements, which reflect the specific law traditions and choices of contractual parties and show the unique scribal traditions in the different Old Babylonian city-states of Larsa, Nippur and Sippar. The aim of the study is to shed a more focused light on the interpretation of recorded Old Babylonian division agreements and to show that the division agreement was a successful, timeless, estate administration mechanism and tool to obviate any undesirable consequences of co-ownership of the bequeathed property. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)